Another Green Customer - Darin Cook

Darin Cook_5

Thanks for the kind words!




Darin

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Darin Cook_8

One more mechanical room brought into the 21st century

The "former" oil supplier of my customers wanted $12,000 upfront to lock-in for fuel oil this winter. They decided -NO! Another complaint was that the oil boiler had to be cleaned three times alone last year. The oil company said that was normal. That alone was enough to make them go with a Buderus GB 142 LP mod-con.

These folks also decided that they wanted to lock-in on their domestic hot water costs for the next 20 plus years, so they went with a Buderus Solar high efficiency flat panel package to pre-heat their incoming well water before it gets to the indirect.

This was a fairly tight area to work in and get the five pounds of stuff in a three pound space. NOT the Levitt town spaces that Ron jr gets to work with but close enough! The folks are beaming with pride with the new system.

I seem to be one of the very few in my area offering a complete hydronic package to consumers. I wonder why this is? Solar is just hydronics on the roof. I am running about a 94% sales closing rate on offering these systems. Why pass on the work and the profit that comes with it?


Darin

P.S. All of the mechanical piping is being insulated. The folks also have a painter that they use who painted my boiler venting and the line hide on the side of the home where my solar line set runs up through the attic soffit. Nice!

P.P.S. Yes, I have the Wilo "ECO" moving my water. Might as well keep the electrical costs down too!

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tim smith

Darin, great looking retro

I always appreciate the high quality seen here on the wall, we always strive for the same. Nice work. Tim

JohnNY

Well done.

I'm sure I speak for many when I say we really enjoy your installation pics, Darin.
Thanks for posting.

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Supply House Rick

Wow

You still do the best work I have ever seen. It's just too bad I no longer make commission on that equipment! Please just send me a check. Your portfolio is most impressive!

Rick

Shane_2

Beautiful work, thank you for posting.

Where did you get your training/information for the solar side? I would like to offer solar options but have been reluctant without some type of training.

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Joe@buderus_2

Solar training

Check out Buderus. We offer training on the solar package we sell. On our website, click on "Products", scroll down to "Solar", click on the "training" schedule to sign up. NICE WORK DARIN!!!

Brad White_194

Great Job Darin!

Not only the technical aspects and the craftsmanship but that you handled the sales side (the part so many of us neglect or take for granted) so well too. Excellent all around.

I cannot believe that they would be able to burn that much oil even at high prices, in a year using that small old oil-fired boiler. What was the BTU load if I may ask? With three cleanings a year, I can see a lot of wasted oil.

And to have the oil dealer ask for 12K "up front"? Is it coming to that? Or is that an aberration?

Smart Home Owners you have for customers- and the oil dealer in this case? Not so much. That 12K as a fuel deposit reads, "capital improvement fund" and independence to a degree.

Proud of you and proud to know you, Darin.

ScottMP

Another Great Job

From a Great Installer. Very well done Darin and really well layed out.

Nice soldering.

You Sure you don't want to live near the ocean

Scott

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Unknown

Awesome job bud!


I remember those folks, that old indirect would make the mechanical room 140°!!

What did you set the ECO head setting at?

Might be worth a trip back some time to watch the Delta T and dial it in with the ECO.

BEAUTIFUL!

Mark H

Wayco Wayne_2

Darin

You've been in my thoughts recently. The Buderus Truck came to the local supply house and I hovered and poked and prodded the poor sales guy who was amazed at how much I already knew about his product. I just said I been watching Darin's work on the Wall and that's a big insight on how things should be done. I see you have 3 panels on the roof. Are they just domestic hot water or are they assisting with the heating. I'm interested in how the Boiler controls interlock with the solar. I installed a GB 115 in my brothers house a few years back and now he's considering solar. I figure plug in a solar module into his logomatic and get a Buderus Solar Package and getr done. Do you get the panels with the argon gas to lower emisivity? Cool stuff my man. WW

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singh

Sweet

Great work Darin!

I have a few questions:

1) How does the Wilo intergrate with the GB. Is it via the BM10? Or do you have a seperate control, such as a Taco zone relay?

2) What's the heat emiitters, HWBB, panel rads, RFH?

3) How did you calculate a 94% closing rate? 10 estimates, resulting in 9.4 contracts? ; )

BTW, Thanks for helping out over the summer at that property.

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Tom Kane

Great Job Darin

Great looking system, I'm sure the homeowners will realize the savings quickly and hopefully they'll spread the word to their friends who don't want to pay up front for fuel....keep up the good work. Tom

Unknown

Nice work!

I assume this is up in the Adirondacks, and I'm interested in how you keep the snow from covering the solar panels. Do they melt it off alone? Beautiful work, and should save lotsa fuel $.

J.C.A._3

Oh My!

That is some beautiful work my friend!!!!

That old partner of yours was apparently holding you back....but getting to be the first to post the Wilo ECO pump in use on the Wall, seems about as much as he could do to redeem himself.(Big chuckle !)

Nice work Bud. Chris

Darin Cook_8

Shane

I have done alot of research on my own also. A great book that I think is very useful is : Solar Hot Water Systems - Lessons learned 1977 to today by Tom Lane. A very practical down to earth book. Check it out,


Darin

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Mad Dog_2

Nothing but the best..................

What can we say. Outstanding, Bud. Mad Dog

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Darin Cook_5

Brad

The old boiler was a Weil Mclain 468 (four section) series boiler. The heating load on the home was around 125,000 btu's/hr/design day. I am thinking that the fuel oil company was a "little" over the top in their demand. In the end, it cost them a customer. Most folks that I know had the oil company asking for 3 - 4 thousand upfront. Which is still alot of money!

The same feeling goes back to you Brad. You are one of the smartest people I know and your opinion means alot to me.


Darin

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Darin Cook_5

Wayne

The panels are for domestic hot water preheating only. There are 5 people who live in the house so I went with the 3 panel Buderus Topline package. The control is very simple in this case it is the U Solar Control offered by Buderus and all it does is monitor the temperature in the collector array and the lower sensor well on the Buderus SM 400 tank. If there is at least a 16' temp differential and the storage tank temp is below 140' it will power up the solar pump station and move the fluid. Buderus has a control for the GB boilers coming out which will integrate the system just like the Logamatic control does, but it is not available yet. I do not like being only able to run the storage tank only up to 140' with the Logamatic I can run it higher. Remember, I have a dedicated indirect with a thermostatic mixing valve for hot water production so the solar storage tank is all about getting as many sun produced btu's in that tank as I can.

Yes, I went with the argon filled panels to collect more btu's during the year.







Darin

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Darin Cook_5

Mark

I used the formula out of Dan's Golden rules book on calculating pump head for the Eco setting. But as a matter of fact, Mr Kane just relayed the same info on setting it up using delta T. I appreciate the tip. The homeowners said to say hello to you.

Thanks Bud.






Darin

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Darin Cook_5

Bill

This is actually in the Amsterdam, NY area. But the panels will self-clear. This is one of the reasons that you want to put them as close to the peak of a roof as you can so that the snow can slide off. The control also has a manual on/off switch so could melt snow with panels if you had to.

Good question.
Thanks.




Darin

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Darin Cook_5

Chris

Mark does come in handy - now and again!
Thanks.





Darin

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Darin Cook_5

Devan

The Wilo gets turned on and off through the Taco switching relay. THe home is HWBB with a master bath radiant floor zone. You can see the 1/2" lines come off the heating mains in the pics above and go to a Grundfos injection pump.

I got a chuckle out of the 94% closing rate. I just threw that out there to see if anyone would challenge it. The reality is I have sold 4 out of five systems quoted. The fifth that I lost was lost on price alone. That homeowner will regret his decision because the "solar" guy who got the job does horrendous quality work and will use "used" equipment on new installs. You know who this is because you have talked with him before. He is not too far from you!

Anytime you need a hand Bud just ask. It is way too much fun to work with another Wallie.






Darin

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Darin Cook_5

Rick

Thanks for the compliment. I wish was still working with you. Your customer service skills are second to none!




Darin

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Darin Cook_5

Scott

Thanks for the compliments. You do live in a very pretty place. Maybe the wife can transfer her pharmacist license out there! I don't know if I could work for you though after all the personal secrets that Hunt has told me about you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Three chicks and a guy in a van in Tijuana round about '74 - what were you thinking??????????


Darin

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Darin Cook_5

Tom

Thanks Bud.



Darin

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nicholas bonham-carter

solar collector in a metal roof

i wonder if those collectors could be incorporated in a metal roof for longevity.it could be difficult to lift up the collectors later for reroofing [in 15 yeaes]--nbc

Supply House Rick

Hello Joe!

How are you? We sure have missed you! Have a fantastic heating season!

Rick

Leo_16

Engineering

Darin,

Do you bring Brad in to engineer these systems or are you competing with him? Nice work both in planning and installation.

Leo

Brad White_201

Ah, Leo...

Darin doesn't need me at all! We just bounce ideas around occasionally and it goes both ways. This one is entirely Darin's work and that goes for all of them.

I really just stand back, watch and wish I could do what Darin does as well as he does it. Something to aim for!